The Department of Agriculture’s Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme III (TAMS) offerings for the pig sector failed to garner much farmer support at the Irish Pig Health Society symposium on Tuesday.Farmers voiced criticisms of the scheme’s pig housing specifications from the floor, also questioning the investment costings and the practicality of running units built to TAMS spec.
The Department of Agriculture’s Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme III (TAMS) offerings for the pig sector failed to garner much farmer support at the Irish Pig Health Society symposium on Tuesday.
Farmers voiced criticisms of the scheme’s pig housing specifications from the floor, also questioning the investment costings and the practicality of running units built to TAMS spec.
Speaking on the farmer panel at the event, Paul Tully from Co Laois said that the 40% rate of grant aid at current costings would only cover the higher specification of build for a planned finishing house on one of his units.
“I don’t think I’ll be going with TAMS, there is nothing in it for me in terms of the specification not being at all what I would go for and I think the low uptake has spoken volumes,” Tully told attendees.
The farmer gave the minimum feeder, solid floor and ammonia emission reduction requirements as examples of the specifications not suiting his operation.
He argued that the solid area requirements “make no sense whatsoever” as a lower slatted covering in pens could decrease hygiene and leave the potential for salmonella to take hold.
“The fact that I dry feed as well means I would have put in ammonia reduction technology. That would maybe be very frequent ammonia removal through channels – not a chance.
Before I came here, I spent half the morning unblocking such a channel.”
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